IA Mission, Vision & Data

Vision

To be an internationally recognized program for its innovative interdisciplinary research and broad based professional education in the field of interior architecture.

Mission

The Interior Architecture program combines research and design practice to improve people’s lives through human-centered design within the built environment. We prepare students to become independent thinkers by promoting critical reflection on alternative ways of living, to become effective problem-solvers in the field of interior architecture through professional training, to develop interdisciplinary aptitude through intellectual flourishing beyond the design realm, to become design leaders as stewards and visionaries of the public realm by fostering socially responsible and collaborative design thinking.

Data

2017-18 Future Graduates

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Robert Schafer received 2nd Place in the US Department of Energy Race to Zero Competition.

Courtney Christensen won 1st in the Commercial Design Category for the Sherwin-Williams Student Design Challenge

Six students won IIDA awards for Best in Show, Best in Commercial Design, Best in Residential Design, and Best in Hospitality Design

Six Interior Architecture students received SoHE scholarship awards

ATTRITION AND RETENTION
Thirty-seven students began fall of 2014 as Pre-Interior Architecture majors; Thirty-Two of these students applied and were accepted into phase two – Professional Track, beginning in fall of 2015. Attrition out of the IA program after the first year was 0%. One student dropped out of the school and one student transferred into the program.

GRADUATION
Thirty-four students are expected to graduate with the Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture (BSIA) in May of 2017 or before. Students have the option to study abroad spring of their junior year or strong of their senior year. This flexibility also allows for students to graduate early (December of senior year) if they choose not to travel or find our program after their freshman year. Three students have been offered jobs upon graduation.

2016-17 Graduates

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Four students won IIDA awards for Best in Show, Best in Commercial Design, Best in Residential Design, and Best in Hospitality Design

Five Interior Architecture students received SoHE scholarship awards

ATTRITION AND RETENTION
Thirty-one students began fall of 2013 as Pre -Interior Architecture majors; Twenty-seven students of these students applied and were accepted into phase two – Professional Track, beginning in fall of 2014. Attrition out of the IA program after the first year was 0%.

GRADUATION
Of the thirty-one students, six graduated in May and the remainder are expected to graduate with the Bachelor of Science in Design Studies (BSDS) in December of 2016 or spring of 2017. This cohort included a number of students who choose to study abroad or pursue a certificate in art or business during their junior year. Of the six students that graduated in May, five of them had jobs within three months of graduation.

GRADUATION RATE
Of the twenty-seven students who started in 2013, six have graduated with a BS in Design Studies. The remainder are graduating within this academic year. The BS four-year graduation rate for those that started as freshmen is 100%. However, many of our students find us late and switch majors during their sophomore or junior years. For these students, time to graduation is five to six years.

JOB PLACEMENT RATES
As of August 2016, 60% of the six students from this cohort who graduated in May 2016 are employed in a design firm. Upon graduation, four have entered the design profession at the entry level at:

Creative Business Interiors – Milwaukee WI

Eckenhoff Saunders Architects – Chicago IL

HGA Architects and Engineers – Milwaukee WI

Lauckgroup – Dallas TX

2015-16 Graduates

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Six students won a total of seven IIDA awards.

Eight Interior Architecture received SoHE scholarship awards.

One student won the Sherwin Williams student competition award.

ATTRITION AND RETENTION
Thirty-seven students began fall of 2012 as Pre Interior Architecture majors; Thirty-one of these students applied and were accepted into phase two – Professional Track, beginning in fall of 2013. Attrition out of the IA program after the first year was 0%. One student dropped out of the school and one student transferred into the program.

GRADUATION
Twelve students graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Design Studies (BSDS) degree in fall 2015. The remaining twenty-five graduated in spring of 2016.

GRADUATION RATE
Of the thirty-one students, twelve began as freshmen in 2012 and graduated in four years. The remaining students changed majors after they freshman or sophomore years, resulting in a longer time to graduation rate. Two students have postponed graduating due to personal reasons.

JOB PLACEMENT RATES
Eighty percent (80%) of our graduates have found employment in the design industry within the three months of graduation. Places of employment:

Aro Eberle Architects – Madison WI

Atmosphere Commercial Interiors – Madison WI

Corporate Design Interiors – Milwaukee WI

Drysdale Design Associates – Maryland

Eckenhoff Saunders Architects (2) – Chicago IL

EYP Architecture and Planning – Washington DC

Gary Brink and Associates – Madison WI

Hartshorne Plunkart Architecture – Chicago IL

Henrikson Furniture – Madison WI

Inspired Spaces – Madison WI

Interior Logic – Stoughton WI

Kahler Slater Architects – Madison WI

Kugler Ning Lighting Design – New York NY

Laurie Drisdoll Interiors – Madison WI

Lerdahl Business Interiors – Madison WI

P+R Architects – Washington DC

Shea Architects (2) – Milwaukee WI

Eppstein Uhen Architects – Madison WI

ACCEPTANCE INTO GRADUATE PROGRAMS
N/A—all of these graduates started in their profession and did not choose to go to graduate school.